Police: Transient stole duffle bag, started fire

A 49-year-old transient is accused of stealing another transient's duffle bag and starting a fire in a Cambier Park recycle bin.

Billy Ray Richards, whose address is listed on an arrest report as the St. Matthew's House homeless shelter in East Naples, was arrested by Naples police on charges of arson and petty theft.

Police and firefighters were called to Cambier Park around 3:45 a.m. on August 21 for a report of a recycle bin that was engulfed in flames, according to an arrest report. After the fire was under control, investigators located another transient, who told them he suspected a man he knew as "Cowboy" started the fire. The two men have been in a long running dispute over a woman, and they had an altercation that night, reports said.

The victim told investigators he was sleeping near the Norris Center when he awoke to the fire, and noticed that his duffle bag was gone. When he approached the fire, he saw his driver license next to the bin. He also found the tires to his bicycle had been flattened, his rear reflectors stolen and his seat partially melted by the heat, reports said.

When investigators located Richards — "Cowboy" — he denied involvement.

However, surveillance footage told a different story. It showed Richards approaching the victim and stealing his duffle bag as the victim slept. Richards is identified in reports as a career criminal with a history of arson and theft charges.